Remember Me

Chapter 29

The bell finally rings, saving me from this jerk. I quickly shove my chair back, grab my bag, and storm out of the room. 

My ears immediately zero in on the combat boots landing behind me and I feel myself speed up while trying to be discreet about it. The footsteps don’t speed up but don’t start to sound farther away either. Why do I have to be five-foot-four when he’s probably at least six feet or taller. The parking lot comes into my sight and I begin to be able to breathe better when my black Audi comes into my eyesight and I become even closer to getting the hell out of here. 

 I should have never come today. In fact, I should just skip this entire week. I reach my car and go to open the door only to have a hand immediately shut it back. I spin around furiously to see Connor towering over me, his arm still holding my door shut, bending his head down enough to where I could swear his lips almost grazed mine and I could feel his sweet breath grazing my face and taking my own away from me. His body is so close to mine that my back is pressed against my car. His lips are stretched into a tight, threatening smile. His grey eyes dancing with danger as I glare into them.  

“Where do you think you’re going, baby girl?” Connor asks, his voice low, dangerous, and tempting.  

I try my best to ignore how the sound of his voice calling me baby girl in such a captivating voice makes my insides clench and my toes want to curl. How does he do that without even trying? Or is he trying in an attempt to get a reaction that can provide him with even more disgusting amusement? I don’t understand how this guy just walks into my life and starts having such an effect on my body and me to the point it feels like he could have complete control over it if he wanted. 

No one has ever been able to get to me or affect me like this and he’s the worst guy in every sense of the word to ever have that power over me. I try to step away and put as much distance as I can get using the side he isn’t blocking with his arm but he anticipates my move seconds before I’m able to get away and throws his other arm to my car, completely trapping me. I angrily shove at his hard chest, ignoring the pain that shoots down my wrists, and he doesn’t even budge a centimeter. 

He tilts his head, his thick black hair, that’s not held down by a beanie for once, falling in the same direction. His smile widens, showing his teeth and becoming even more wicked. His light grey eyes become darker as they widen slightly then return to normal. Just that look alone threatens to send shivers down my body.  

“I asked you a question,” he says slowly and in an almost singsong voice that held promises of bad things. 

“Will you stop with your incessant nicknames?” I snap, attempting to shove him away and failing a second time. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” he persists, his eyes doing that stupid thing again and his voice no longer holding the dark playfulness, just holding dominance and coming out demanding and low. 

“Clearly nowhere while you’re holding me captive for whatever sick reasoning you’ve come up with.” 

“I didn’t ask you where you’re going. I asked you where you think you’re going.” 

“Getting the hell out of here. Happy? Will you go away now?” 

“We’ve only been married for five minutes and you’re already trying to run?” he mocks me, that infuriating smile still in place. 

“Five minutes with you would make anyone want to leave,” I tell him, shooting him a tight smile of my own. 

“You’re really trying to cut deep, Holloway.” 

I stiffen at the sound of my last name falling from his lips. No one had said my last name in front of him that I was aware of. So how the hell does he know it? He notices my reaction and trepidation and his smile grows to the point that if anyone else were to see it, they’d think it was actually genuine. I look away in an attempt to stop my thought process from going down the wrong path. Now is not the time.  

“Is there an actual reason you followed me out here other than to annoy and infuriate me?” 

“Maybe hearing everything you said to pretty boy got me all hot and bothered,” he murmurs into my ear before backing up to meet my gaze again, biting his bottom lip. 

My breath cuts off short and I swear my heart stops in my chest. My lips part while I’m at a loss and desperately trying to get ahold of myself. His eyes lower to my lips and somehow grow even darker as he stares. 

“You’d have to have a beating heart and blood running through your veins for that to even be viable,” I tell him coldly while his gaze is still focused on my lips. When he finally seems to register my words, his eyes flick back up to mine. 

“So fiery,” he taunts, blowing out a breath as if he’s surprised. 

“Want to tell me how you know my last name?” I ask him, narrowing my eyes at him and trying to freeze him with a look. “Are you stalking me now? Have you managed to find my house or get into my room yet?”

He looks at me, eyes still alight and dancing with the danger and darkness that seems to emanate from him, and raises a dark eyebrow at me that I’m just now noticing has a scar toward the end of it that runs from just above the top of his eyebrow and all the way through his eyebrow to just below his brow bone and above where his eyelid begins. His right arm leaves my car door and moves to firmly cup my chin. 

He runs his thumb across my bottom lip slowly and so softly that it could feel like a ghost was the one doing it, leaving tingles and the feel of his thumb lingering in its path. When his thumb has traced the entirety of my bottom lip, he drags it back to the center before pulling his thumb down and away, pulling my lip slightly down with it for a brief moment. I busy my mind with trying to get rid of the feeling and stopping my heart from speeding away and hammering out of my chest.  

“Baby girl, you wish I was that close to your bed,” he whispers, his sweet breath dancing across my face. I scoff and try to shove his hand off of my chin, but he holds it and me firmly in place. “If you want me in your room then just ask, Holloway,” he continues whispering, moving his eyes back and forth over mine, studying and taking in every tiny reaction that he can attempt to find.  

I try jerking my face out of his grasp which only results in him gripping my chin even harder and laughing at me. Frustrated way beyond my limit, I take my foot and stomp it down on his as hard as I can. Yet again, I only manage to hurt myself and get absolutely no reaction out of him. Stupid combat boots. 

“You done?” he asks in a bored tone, eyebrow raised again. 

 I cross my arms and refuse to say anything. I’m done playing whatever twisted game this is of his. He lets my chin go and his arm reaches behind him, seemingly digging for something out of his back pocket. When his arm comes back around, he’s holding a folded-up piece of white paper in front of my face. I reach out quickly to snatch it from him only to have him snatch it back away from my grasp, my fingers just barely grazing it. He gives me a taunting look before bringing it back in front of my face. 

 I glare at him as I reach out once again to attempt grabbing whatever this paper is supposed to be. This time he lets me take it from his hand, our fingers grazing and sending what feels like electric shocks dancing through my fingertips where we touched as I pull it out of his hand. I unfold the paper, my mind buzzing with questions as to what it could possibly be. 

I notice both of our names written in Mr. Cooper’s horrible handwriting at the top of the paper. I fold the paper back up without bothering to look at the rest of it. My eyes travel back up to his, quickly taking in his firm but soft-looking lips and perfect nose on the way. I cross my arms again, still holding the paper safely in my grasp, raising an eyebrow and giving him my own bored expression.